¹My little children, these things I write to you, that ye may not sin: and if any one may sin, an advocate we have with the Father, Jesus Christ, a righteous one,

¹Watoto wangu, ninawaandikieni mambo haya, kusudi msitende dhambi. Lakini, ikijatokea mtu akatenda dhambi, tunaye mmoja ambaye hutuombea kwa Baba, ndiye Yesu Kristo aliye mwadilifu kabisa.

²and he — he is a propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world,

²Kristo ndiye sadaka iondoayo dhambi zetu; wala si dhambi zetu sisi tu, bali pia dhambi za ulimwengu wote.

³and in this we know that we have known him, if his commands we may keep;

³Tukizitii amri za Mungu, basi, tunaweza kuwa na hakika kwamba tunamjua.

⁴he who is saying, `I have known him,` and his command is not keeping, a liar he is, and in him the truth is not;

⁴Mtu akisema kwamba anamjua, lakini hazitii amri zake, basi mtu huyo ni mwongo, na ukweli haumo ndani yake.

⁵and whoever may keep his word, truly in him the love of God hath been perfected; in this we know that in him we are.

⁵Lakini mtu yeyote anayeshika neno la Mungu, huyo ndiye aliye na upendo kamili wa Mungu ndani yake. Hivi ndivyo tunavyoweza kuwa na hakika kwamba tunaungana naye:

⁶He who is saying in him he doth remain, ought according as he walked also himself so to walk.

⁶mtu yeyote anayesema kwamba ameungana na Mungu, anapaswa kuishi kama alivyoishi Yesu Kristo.

⁷Brethren, a new command I write not to you, but an old command, that ye had from the beginning — the old command is the word that ye heard from the beginning;

⁷Wapenzi wangu, amri hii ninayowaandikieni si amri mpya; ni amri ileile ya zamani mliyokuwa nayo tangu mwanzo. Amri hiyo ya zamani ni ule ujumbe mliousikia.

⁸again, a new command I write to you, which thing is true in him and in you, because the darkness doth pass away, and the true light doth now shine;

⁸Hata hivyo, amri hii ninayowaandikieni ni amri mpya, na ukweli wake unaonekana ndani ya Kristo na ndani yenu pia. Maana giza linatoweka, na mwanga wa ukweli umekwisha anza kuangaza.

⁹he who is saying, in the light he is, and his brother is hating, in the darkness he is till now;

⁹Yeyote asemaye kwamba yumo katika mwanga, lakini anamchukia ndugu yake, mtu huyo bado yumo gizani.

¹⁰he who is loving his brother, in the light he doth remain, and a stumbling-block in him there is not;

¹⁰Yeyote ampendaye ndugu yake, yuko katika mwanga, na hamna chochote ndani yake kiwezacho kumkwaza mtu mwingine.

¹¹and he who is hating his brother, in the darkness he is, and in the darkness he doth walk, and he hath not known whither he doth go, because the darkness did blind his eyes.

¹¹Lakini anayemchukia ndugu yake, yumo gizani; anatembea gizani, na hajui anakokwenda, maana giza limempofusha.

¹²I write to you, little children, because the sins have been forgiven you through his name;

¹²Ninawaandikieni ninyi watoto, kwa kuwa dhambi zenu zimeondolewa kwa jina la Kristo.

¹³I write to you, fathers, because ye have known him who [is] from the beginning; I write to you, young men, because ye have overcome the evil. I write to you, little youths, because ye have known the Father:

¹³Nawaandikieni ninyi kina baba kwani mnamjua yeye ambaye amekuwako tangu mwanzo, Nawaandikieni ninyi vijana kwa sababu mmemshinda yule Mwovu.

¹⁴I did write to you, fathers, because ye have known him who [is] from the beginning; I did write to you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God in you doth remain, and ye have overcome the evil.

¹⁴Nawaandikieni ninyi watoto, kwa sababu mnamjua Baba. Nawaandikieni ninyi kina baba, kwa kuwa mnamjua yeye ambaye amekuwako tangu mwanzo. Nawaandikieni ninyi vijana kwa sababu mna nguvu; neno la Mungu limo ndani yenu na mmemshinda yule Mwovu.

¹⁵Love not ye the world, nor the things in the world; if any one doth love the world, the love of the Father is not in him,

¹⁵Msiupende ulimwengu, wala chochote kilicho cha ulimwengu. Mtu anayeupenda ulimwengu, upendo wa Baba hauwezi kuwamo ndani yake.

¹⁶because all that [is] in the world — the desire of the flesh, and the desire of the eyes, and the ostentation of the life — is not of the Father, but of the world,

¹⁶Vitu vyote vya ulimwengu-tamaa mbaya za mwili, vitu wanavyoviona watu na kuvitamani, majivuno yasababishwayo na mali-vyote hivyo havitoki kwa Baba, bali vyatoka kwa ulimwengu.

¹⁷and the world doth pass away, and the desire of it, and he who is doing the will of God, he doth remain — to the age.

¹⁷Ulimwengu pamoja na vitu vyake vyote vyenye kutamanika unapita; lakini mtu atendaye atakalo Mungu, anaishi milele.

¹⁸Little youths, it is the last hour; and even as ye heard that the antichrist doth come, even now antichrists have become many — whence we know that it is the last hour;

¹⁸Watoto, mwisho u karibu! Mlikwisha sikia kwamba adui wa Kristo anakuja, na sasa adui wengi wa Kristo wamekwisha fika, na hivyo twajua kwamba mwisho u karibu.

¹⁹out of us they went forth, but they were not of us, for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but — that they might be manifested that they are not all of us.

¹⁹Watu hao wametokea kati yetu lakini hawakuwa kweli wa kwetu na ndiyo maana walituacha; Kama wangalikuwa wa kwetu, wangalibaki nasi. Lakini waliondoka, wakaenda zao, kusudi ionekane wazi kwamba hawakuwa kamwe wa kwetu.

²⁰And ye have an anointing from the Holy One, and have known all things;

²⁰Ninyi, lakini, mlipata kumiminiwa Roho Mtakatifu na Kristo, na hivyo mnaujua ukweli.

²¹I did not write to you because ye have not known the truth, but because ye have known it, and because no lie is of the truth.

²¹Basi, nawaandikieni, si kwa kuwa hamuujui ukweli, bali kwa sababu mnaujua; na pia mnajua kwamba uongo wowote haupatikani katika ukweli.

²²Who is the liar, except he who is denying that Jesus is the Christ? this one is the antichrist who is denying the Father and the Son;

²²Mwongo ni nani? Ni yule anayekana kwamba Yesu ni Masiha. Mtu wa namna hiyo ni adui wa Kristo--anamkana Baba na Mwana.

²³every one who is denying the Son, neither hath he the Father, [he who is confessing the Son hath the Father also.]

²³Maana yeyote anayemkana Mwana, anamkana pia Baba; na yeyote anayemkubali Mwana, anampata Baba pia.

²⁴Ye, then, that which ye heard from the beginning, in you let it remain; if in you may remain that which from the beginning ye did hear, ye also in the Son and in the Father shall remain,

²⁴Basi, ujumbe ule mliousikia tangu mwanzo na ukae mioyoni mwenu. Kama ujumbe huo mliousikia tangu mwanzo ukikaa ndani yenu, basi, mtaishi daima katika umoja na Mwana na Baba.

²⁵and this is the promise that He did promise us — the life the age-during.

²⁵Na ahadi aliyotuahidia sisi ndiyo hii: uzima wa milele.

²⁶These things I did write to you concerning those leading you astray;

²⁶Nimewaandikieni mambo haya kuhusu wale wanaotaka kuwapotosha ninyi.

²⁷and you, the anointing that ye did receive from him, in you it doth remain, and ye have no need that any one may teach you, but as the same anointing doth teach you concerning all, and is true, and is not a lie, and even as was taught you, ye shall remain in him.

²⁷Lakini, kwa upande wenu ninyi, Kristo aliwamiminieni Roho wake. Na kama akiendelea kukaa ndani yenu, hamhitaji kufundishwa na mtu yeyote. Maana Roho wake anawafundisheni kila kitu na mafundisho yake ni ya kweli, si ya uongo. Basi shikeni mafundisho ya huyo Roho na kubaki katika muungano na Kristo.

²⁸And now, little children, remain in him, that when he may be manifested, we may have boldness, and may not be ashamed before him, in his presence;

²⁸Naam, watoto, kaeni ndani yake kusudi wakati atakapotokea tuwe hodari bila kuwa na sababu ya kujificha kwa aibu Siku ya kuja kwake.

²⁹if ye know that he is righteous, know ye that every one doing the righteousness, of him hath been begotten.

²⁹Mnajua kwamba Kristo ni mwadilifu kabisa; basi, mnapaswa kujua pia kwamba kila mtu atendaye mambo adili ni mtoto wa Mungu.